Step Counter Pedometer

For a step counter pedometer to measure distance, you must measure your average step length or average stride length. First, read the instructions on your step pedometer carefully. Most ask for the step length.

Step Length: The distance from the heel print of one foot to the heel print of the other foot. This is the distance traveled forward by a single leg.

Stride Length: This can mean the same thing as step length, or it can mean the distance traveled by the heel of one foot to the next time that same foot strikes down – in other words, two steps, since in that time the other foot has also touched down once. If you set your pedometer for your step length and discover it seems to be halving your distance, read the instructions again – it may want the stride length, which is two steps. Also, the reverse – if you at first thought the step counter pedometer needed the stride length but you seem to be getting double the distance, read again as they may have really wanted the step length.

The Wet Foot Walk
Rob Sweetgall of Creative Walking, Inc. touts this method of measuring step length to set your step pedometer. Create a puddle of water on a stretch of sidewalk or street where you can be walking your natural speed before and after you reach it. Start walking at your natural pace and walk through the water. Keep walking naturally for about 10 more steps.

Now measure the distance from the heel of your left footprint to the heel of your right footprint on several of the wet footprints and average them. If your pedometer is set in feet, divide the inches by 12 to get feet. Step length in inches/12 inches = Step length in feet.

Measured Distance Short Walk
Measure off a known distance – 20 feet or 50 feet. Then get up to speed in your natural walk and count the number of steps it takes to cover that distance. Divide the number of feet by the number of steps. Feet/steps = Step length in feet.

Measured Distance Long Walk
Use a football field, which is 300 feet from goal line to goal line. Count your steps. Divide 300 by the number of steps. Use a regulation track at the local high school. This is tricky because some are 1/4 mile = 440 yards = 1,320 feet, while others are 400 meters = 1,308 feet, so you may have to ask the coach. Walk in the inside lane only. Count your steps. Divide either 1,320 or 1,308 by the number of steps. This should be more accurate than the short walk because your stride will vary over the distance.

Ten Step Measure
Make a mark at the heel of your right foot and then walk 10 steps, marking where the heel sets down on your tenth step. Measure the distance. Divide that distance by 10. This method can be inaccurate because you start and end at a dead halt, which is not your normal stride.

Estimate by Height
These are rough estimates, but useful to check your results by the other methods:

Females: Your height x .413 equals your stride length
Males: Your height x .415 equals your stride length

Article Source: Wendy Bumgardner, About.com Guide

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Do you know that park you car wisely can be a good method to improve your health?

All of us know that we don’t always have the time to exercise on a regular basis. Even if we have enrolled in a gym, often time due to heavy workload and long hours of meetings we have to attend, we can’t even fully utilize our gym session and facilities. Fortunately, with the help of a step counter pedometer, we can make minor adjustment to our daily activities, and incorporate that into our exercise routine. Here is how:

Due to recent oil price uncertain fluctuation and price rise, we have to deal with the rising price of gas, and other things that are directly or indirectly related to it. Owning a car and maintaining a car is another burden that all of us have to bear. Not only driving a car can be dangerous (accident do happen) but it also contributed to air and noise pollutions. In order to save money on gas and car maintenance, reduce road accident, and help save the environment, we can reduce the use of car.

If you stay very near to your office, try to walk to the office and back. If this is not possible, you may think of cycling to work. Use the step counter pedometer to help count the steps you’ve taken or the distance you’ve traveled, that way you can monitor the calories burnt, and the amount of exercise you’ve performed.

If you stay far from your office, try to park further to your office, and walk a little bit more to office and back. Similarly, use the step counter pedometer to count the steps you’ve walked, monitor the steps for the week to make sure you’ve walked the amount of steps as required.

Driving to the store and finding parking space near the store can sometimes time consuming, try park further to the store and walk there. This not only save you time to find parking space, but also help ease up the congestion. Always put on the step counter pedometer whenever you go to the more, let it counts your steps you will be on the way to an active and healthier you.

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A step counter pedometer senses your body motion and counts your footsteps. This count is converted into distance by knowing the length of your usual stride. Wearing a step pedometer and recording your daily steps and distance is a great motivating tool. You can wear a pedometer all day, every day and record total steps. Or you can wear it just when you go out for a walking workout.

Multi-function Pedometers
All step counter pedometers count steps, although they may use different methods to do so. These include (in general order of accuracy): piezo-electric accelerometers, a coiled spring mechanism, and a hairspring mechanism. Beyond showing the step total and/or calculating the distance, features abound. The top features are: Calorie estimates, clocks, timers, stopwatches and speed estimators, 7-day memory, pulse rate readers.

Simple Step Counting Pedometers
The simplest step counter pedometers only count your steps and display steps and/or distance. This is all you need to track to keep yourself motivated. Set a goal of distance or steps for each day. The recommended number of steps is 6000 for health, 10,000 for weight loss when you count all steps during the day. For weight loss, an uninterrupted walk each day of 4000-6000 steps is recommended.

Pedometer Accuracy
The current generation of step counter pedometers uses turned pendulum technology, accelerometers, and/or electronics to count your steps. The unit should be accurate in its count when you wear it correctly – you may have to experiment with where to wear it. Distance accuracy depends on setting your stride length correctly.

How to Wear Your Pedometer
A step counter pedometer should be comfortable to wear all day and be held securely by its clip, an extra safety leash is almost required. The display should be easy to read without removing the unit from your waistband. It should be protected so that bumps don’t punch a button and reset the count. It should easy and intuitive to move between functions.

Pedometer Walking Programs
Keeping records of your steps and/or distance can keep you on track. You can record your daily totals in any log, or get your step counter pedometer and log through one of the pedometer walking programs offered.

Walking Speedometers/Odometers
Timex, Garmin, and others true speedometers/odometers that track your speed and distance continuously using GPS. Nike uses an accelerometer to display continuous speed and distance, but may need to be calibrated for walking vs. running.

Pedometers that Upload and Graph Your Data
For data junkies, what could be better than a step counter pedometer that uploaded your walking data and showed you graphs and charts of your activity? There are several brands available. Some function just as a step pedometer, while others use a footpod or GPS sensor to give more accurate speed or distance.

Article Source: Wendy Bumgardner, About.com Guide

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